When South Central District Judge Gail Hagerty gave a group of foster children the chance to don a judge's robe and grab a gavel, Jacob Roubideaux didn't waste any time in taking the place of a judge.

"It's way cooler sitting up there than it is back here," the 16-year-old said afterward.

Roubideaux was one of about 10 foster children visiting the Burleigh County Courthouse on Friday afternoon for Burleigh County's first Kids and Judges Day.

The event was modeled after one held in Utah, in which judges teach children about courts in a friendly environment, judicial referee John Grinsteiner said. He read about the idea in a juvenile family justice magazine and approached Hagerty, the presiding judge in the district, about putting on a similar event.

Grinsteiner explained that many children become involved in the court system through "no fault of their own." Children in foster care may not understand how judges make decisions that pertain to their lives, he said.

"That could be, one, scary, and two, you could just have some questions," he said.

Kids and Judges Day was created to give them a chance to meet judges and see them as regular people, Grinsteiner said.

Rita Weisz, regional supervisor of child welfare services for West Central Human Services, helped organize the event, inviting foster children from the area to come to the courthouse.

"We're hoping we can do this annually," she said.

Hagerty went through a pamphlet about the courts, called "The Family Circus visits the courts," which she admitted was a little young for the mostly teenage crowd. She explained the different jobs people have in the courthouse and how their work contributes to the judicial system. Hagerty explained judges must first be lawyers and can be appointed or elected to the bench.

"I went door to door and asked people to vote for me," she explained.

She told the kids that judges wear robes, sit on a higher part of the courtroom and ask people to rise when they enter the courtroom to set them apart from the rest of the crowd.

"We don't wear it because we're so important," she said.

After Hagerty explained how things work in a courtroom, she invited the children to explore a little - try on a robe, check out a gavel and ask questions.

Roubideaux was the first to give it a shot. Dion Young, 16, also wanted to try on the heavy black robe.

Young, who intends to go to law school some day, said he had been in a courtroom before. The Bismarck High School sophomore was surprised by the number of books behind the bench, as well as the amount of work it takes to become a judge.

"It's harder than people think," he said.

Ronda Colby, a court reporter, showed the children the "foreign language" she uses to transcribe court proceedings. They stood in line to see her type out her version of their names, with phonetic and shortened spellings. Colby explained how she uses different keystrokes to stand for different letters.

Kids and Judges Day was held in conjunction with the judicial district's Adoption Day. Alison Fallgatter of Steele completed her adoption of Will, a 1-year-old boy from Ethiopia, at the Burleigh County Courthouse.

Fallgatter said she had a desire to have children and liked the idea of helping an orphan. She began the adoption process three years ago and brought Will from Ethiopia in May.

"It was kind of a long and winding road, but all worth it," she said. "The paper pregnancy is a long one."

Patty Robinson, a social worker from Catholic Charities, said there are many more children in Ethiopia available for adoption, and several have been adopted by families in the Bismarck area. Parents who adopt are very determined, she said.

"It's not easy to go through this process," she said.

Hagerty presided over the adoption, in which Fallgatter answered questions acknowledging that she would have the same parental rights to Will as would a natural parent.

"This is a good time for a judge," Hagerty said, smiling.

(Reach reporter Jenny Michael at 250-8225 or jenny.michael@bismarcktribune.com.)